Courage

One of my favorite movies of all time is the Wizard of Oz. I don't know how many times I watched it as a child, but I always loved it. The first time I saw it, I was scared to death of the flying monkeys and the Wicked Witch of the West, but the older I got, the less afraid I became of them.

Each character in the movie held a special place in my heart. I could relate well to Dorothy, because I was a young girl. I loved Glenda, the good witch, because she was so sweet and kind and beautiful. The Scarecrow got my sympathy when the Wicked Witch set him on fire and the Cowardly Lion...well, he always made me laugh at his lack of courage.

Courage. The dictionary defines courage as "the ability to do something that frightens one or to have strength in the face of pain or grief." But where does courage come from? Is it from our own inner strength or from somewhere else? I think it comes from God.

This morning, as I was reading my Bible, I was studying Deuteronomy 31. The leadership of the Israelites is about to be turned over to Joshua because Moses is getting too old to lead them into battle. As God instructs Moses to turn over his leadership to Joshua, God assures Joshua that He will be with him and He will go before him and prepare the way. Listen to verse 8 of the 31st chapter of Deuteronomy: "It is the Lord Who goes before you; He will [march] with you; He will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit—depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm]."

I think that most of us would agree that we are all cowards when it comes to pain! None of us could face the arrow of surgery without flinching, could we? As I let that verse sink in, I realized it not only applied to Joshua...it applied to me! No I don't know what date my surgery will fall on and no, I don't know how difficult it will be for me to endure but I know that God has already gone before me. He already knows exactly when the date of surgery will be and He already knows the outcome! He doesn't want me to be afraid of what is coming in the days ahead. He wants me to trust Him! 


God instructs Joshua in this verse of Scripture that he is not to be depressed or dismayed or unnerved with alarm. Of course, God is referring to the upcoming difficulties that Joshua will face as a leader taking an army into war. I think that God is speaking to me through this verse as well. He doesn't want me to walk in the flesh and allow depression, anxiety, and fear to rule over me. He wants me to walk in the spirit of truth knowing that He is going to march right into that operating room with me. As I lay on that gurney waiting to be put to sleep, He will be right there beside me...and when I wake up, guess who never left my side through all of it - Jesus. 

It doesn't matter that this verse of Scripture was written hundreds of years ago. It's as relevant today as it was back then. God says in His Word that He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. That tells me that if He was the forerunner for Joshua, He's going to be the forerunner for me! God knows my fleshly reaction to difficult circumstances, after all, He made me! He is a loving Father and I know He's not going to chastise me for being fearful but I know He prefers that I stand firm in the truth of His Word. He longs for me to walk in the freedom of trust. He wants me to remember that He's got my back, my front, my top, my bottom...He's got all of it. 

So when that phone call comes and I'm given the date for surgery, I'm not going to be cowardly. I'm going to rest in the fact that God knows exactly what lies ahead because He's already gone before me. I will look those flying monkeys of fear in the eye and shake my finger at them saying "not this time!" I don't have to give in to fear and why should I when I have the God of all creation right next to me? 

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